Thursday, March 1, 2018

-- There is obviously a problem. It is not a simple one that can be fixed with one solution. But simply paying lip service to it isn't helping.

-- The second amendment gives us the right to bear arms. It doesn't say any arms we want with no restrictions ever. Free speech is restricted. The right to assemble is restricted. Et cetera.

-- In 1791, women were not allowed to vote in this country and black people were treated as property in some states. So maybe we can honor the spirit of the Bill of Rights without treating it as sacred.

-- How exciting is your life that you think you need an AR-15 to defend yourself?

-- If you ban guns, the only guy with a gun will be the criminal. We can't keep people out of our country, but you think we can keep guns out? (Congratulations, Australia. You're awesome. You're also an island.)

-- Yes, there are other guns. But if we're talking about limiting damage, we should be talking about restricting access to the guns that do the maximum damage in the minimum amount of time.

-- Yes, professional criminals will still be able to get assault rifles. Do you know where the underground gun store is in your neighborhood? I don''t see the Mafia or MS-13 shooting up schools. I see troubled loners doing it.

-- If you have a problem with the Republicans and their NRA ties, I expect you to have a problem with Hillary Clinton and her ties to Jeff Forbes.

-- Laws only work if they're enforced. So if you ban the AR-15, I hope you're prepared to follow through on it. I don't want whining about taxes, or a free pass because he's a Stanford swimmer, or sympathy because she's gay or black or whatever.

-- Wayne LaPierre and Dana Loesch like to insult anybody who doesn't march lock-step with their opinions. This might be great for the choir, but it's also a good way to alienate those of us who are sick of the extremism on both sides.

-- Why are we still talking about background checks? Shouldn't this be obvious?

-- The Vegas shooter used a bump stock. Why was that legal?

-- Democrats love to insult gun owners. Should they not be allowed to defend themselves?

-- Oklahoma City, World Trade Center, Boston Marathon.

-- It's easy to blame the shooter. But he didn't parachute down from outer space at 2:18.

-- How many people feel so marginalized and mistreated that the only way they can make themselves heard is by doing something extreme?

-- Remember when we were going to be less divisive after Heather Heyer's death? That went well.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Friday, January 12, 2018

Nocturnal Animals: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Pro: Adams isn't difficult on the eyes. The story within the story was entertaining. Certain scenes stood out as particularly well-shot. There was an occasional, and unexpected, funny line.
Con: I didn't care about the characters in the base story. There were a few plot points that seemed silly. The opening scene just seemed to be there for shock value. Adams spent much of her screen time reminding me of other actresses: Julianne Moore mostly, but also Jennifer Aniston.

Videodrome: James Woods, Deborah Harry.
Pro: It's different. I get the sense that Cronenberg was saying something serious, but he wrapped it in an entertaining blend of horror and thriller. Woods as a slightly sketchy, but still likeable guy.
Con: It's a bit too weird. Too depressing. Not thrilled with the violence - sex ratio.

The Paperboy: Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman.
Pro: It's a well-developed plot (maybe because it's based on a novel). It's not too predictable. I liked seeing John Cusack play a different type of character than his usual.
Con: It's not a happy movie. A bit discomforting.

Being John Malkovich: John Cusack, John Malkovich.
Pro: Catherine Keener. It's unique. Some funny moments. The Sean Penn cameo.
Con: The plot went in directions I did not appreciate. The ending.

Whiplash: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons.
Pro: Simmons. It's nice to see jazz get some attention. Not as simple as I thought it would be.
Con: A couple scenes were a bit far-fetched. The MC wasn't very likeable.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Ask Me Another: Game show hosted by Ophira Eisenberg. Funny stuff and easy to play along. They have celebrity guests, like Rose McGowan, Lili Taylor, Jason Mraz, Rita Dove, etc.
Whine: They resort to re-runs more than I wish they would.
Status: Current

Criminal: True crime show hosted by Phoebe Judge. The episodes are wide-ranging despite all being under the crime umbrella. Judge has a good voice for podcasting.
Whine: The eps are a bit on the short side.
Status: Current

Deviant Women, Stuff You Missed in History Class: Women talking about history. The former focuses on nonconformist women (female pirates, for example), while the latter is more wide-ranging (Trail of Tears, Poe's death, etc.).
Whine: Both annoyed me with their leftist politics.*
Status: I have moved on from both. See above.

This American Life: Wide-ranging radio show (accessible over the internet after it airs) hosted by Ira Glass. Usually three or four stories in each ep, for a total of about an hour.
Whine: I don't like the multiple-story format. Or maybe I wish the connections would be stronger.
Status: Current

F This Movie!: Movie podcast hosted by Patrick Bromley. He has guests, usually one per ep, though sometimes more. I like that they talk about older movies a lot. It's a good podcast for movies you've seen, while most movie podcasts seem to be for current movies.
Whine: My complaints are mostly Bromley-related. So not much I can say without being rude. Though I do wish there was less of a bias toward horror.
Status: Current, but selective.

Welcome to Nightvale: Fictional podcast starring Cecil Baldwin, who plays a small-town radio host. Various other people play different residents of the town. It's goofy and unique. Often funny.
Whine: It can be tough to follow at times, with so much happening and the intervals between eps. Some of the plot lines are a bit too weird for my taste.
Status: Current, when I get around to it.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Books, music, movies, television, etc. So it's about some of my favorite things, at least in theory. They have multiple hosts, so it's easy to get different perspectives and recommendations.
Whine: A bit too current for me and my pathetic budget.
Status: I have moved on, but that's not the podcast's fault.

Fresh Air: Mainly an interview show hosted by Terry Gross. Also has film and music reviews by professional critics. Interviewees have included Bruce Springsteen, John Le Carre, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Tan, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Petty, and HRC.
Whine: Definitely a leftist bias. It goes a bit deeper, but it's complicated.
Status: Current, but selective.

Serial: Investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig. Season One focused on a murder and the convicted young man's claim that he was innocent. Season Two was about Bowe Bergdahl's desertion case.
Whine: They abandoned what I liked about the show when they went form an obscure case I hadn't heard about to one of the most talked-about cases in the country. Also, the break between seasons was very long.
Status: I decided to skip Season Two when Bergdahl was announced as the topic. Apparently there are going to be future seasons, so I'll probably check back to see what the topics are.

Alice Isn't Dead, The Orbiting Human Circus, Within the Wires: Fictional podcasts affiliated with the Welcome to Nightvale people. Though not connected to the latter in content. As with Nightvale, each has a decent amount of creativity and quirkiness.
Whine: As with Nightvale, these shows are hard to follow.
Status: I have moved on from the latter two. I haven't officially moved on from Alice, but I haven't listened to it in a long while.

* Yes, I'm aware that leftist bias can describe most of these podcasts. But with these two, I believe it crossed the line.